Van Lanschot Kempen Investment Management N.V. Cuts Holdings in Cheniere Energy, Inc. (NYSE:LNG)

Van Lanschot Kempen Investment Management N.V. lowered its stake in shares of Cheniere Energy, Inc. (NYSE:LNG) by 22.0% during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 120,870 shares of the energy company’s stock after selling 34,031 shares during the period. Van Lanschot Kempen Investment Management N.V.’s holdings in Cheniere Energy were worth $25,971,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB increased its stake in Cheniere Energy by 170.5% in the fourth quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 119 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $26,000 after acquiring an additional 75 shares during the last quarter. WR Wealth Planners LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Cheniere Energy by 373.1% in the 4th quarter. WR Wealth Planners LLC now owns 123 shares of the energy company’s stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 97 shares in the last quarter. Kohmann Bosshard Financial Services LLC bought a new position in shares of Cheniere Energy during the 4th quarter valued at about $29,000. Nemes Rush Group LLC raised its holdings in shares of Cheniere Energy by 2,022.2% during the 4th quarter. Nemes Rush Group LLC now owns 191 shares of the energy company’s stock valued at $41,000 after buying an additional 182 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Adirondack Trust Co. bought a new stake in Cheniere Energy in the 4th quarter worth approximately $43,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 87.26% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director G Andrea Botta sold 9,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $219.51, for a total value of $1,975,590.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 33,934 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $7,448,852.34. This represents a 20.96 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Insiders own 0.29% of the company’s stock.

Cheniere Energy Stock Up 1.8 %

Shares of NYSE:LNG opened at $231.52 on Monday. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $220.22 and its 200 day moving average is $215.31. The company has a market cap of $51.59 billion, a PE ratio of 16.27 and a beta of 0.67. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.41, a current ratio of 1.07 and a quick ratio of 0.98. Cheniere Energy, Inc. has a 1 year low of $153.03 and a 1 year high of $257.65.

Cheniere Energy (NYSE:LNG) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, February 20th. The energy company reported $4.33 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.74 by $1.59. Cheniere Energy had a return on equity of 37.19% and a net margin of 20.71%. The firm had revenue of $4.44 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.44 billion. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Cheniere Energy, Inc. will post 11.69 EPS for the current year.

Cheniere Energy Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 21st. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 7th were given a $0.50 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 7th. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.86%. Cheniere Energy’s dividend payout ratio is 14.05%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have commented on LNG shares. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Cheniere Energy from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, February 21st. Morgan Stanley increased their target price on shares of Cheniere Energy from $195.00 to $255.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, January 31st. Argus started coverage on shares of Cheniere Energy in a research note on Tuesday, March 18th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $255.00 price target for the company. Stifel Nicolaus upped their price target on shares of Cheniere Energy from $237.00 to $255.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, February 21st. Finally, Mizuho lifted their price objective on Cheniere Energy from $248.00 to $254.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 18th. Fifteen analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $245.77.

Cheniere Energy Profile

Cheniere Energy, Inc, an energy infrastructure company, primarily engages in the liquefied natural gas (LNG) related businesses in the United States. It owns and operates the Sabine Pass LNG terminal in Cameron Parish, Louisiana; and the Corpus Christi LNG terminal near Corpus Christi, Texas. The company also owns Creole Trail pipeline, a 94-mile natural gas supply pipeline that interconnects the Sabine Pass LNG Terminal with several interstate and intrastate pipelines; and operates Corpus Christi pipeline, a 21.5-mile natural gas supply pipeline that interconnects the Corpus Christi LNG terminal with various interstate and intrastate natural gas pipelines.